The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 25, 1901, Page 6

Chye” ke Call, SATURDAY...ccoomserssepsasness.- MAY 25, 1001 JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. S Address All Communicstions t5 W. 8. LEAKE, Manager. WAV AGER'S OFFICE Telephone Press 204 FLBLICATION OFFICE...Market and Third, S. F. Telephone Press 201. m St. EDITORIAL ROOMS. ....217 to 221 Steve: Telephone Press 202, Delivered hy Carriers. 16 Centa Per Week. Single Copies, § Cents. Werms by Mail, Including Postages SATLY CALY (including Sundey), one ¥oar. DATLY CALL (including Sunday), § months...... DAILY CALL (ncluding Sunday), 3 months. DAILY CALL—By Single Month WEEKLT CALL, One Yesr.. All postmasters are nuthorized to receive subscriptions. - Eemple coples Will be forwarded when requested. Mall subserfbers n ordering changs of sdArese shomld he particular to give both NEW AND OLD ADDRESS in order o insure a prompt and correct compllance with {heir request. OAKLAXD OFFICE +++1118 Broadway GEORGE KROGXESS, Building, “Central 2619.") NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE: €. C. CABRLTON......ccvvneeseessHerald Square NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE: STEPHEN B. SMITH. .. - .30 Tribune Building NEW YORK NEWS STANDS: Weldort-Astoria Hotel; A. Brentano, 5l Uniom Square: Murrey Eil Hotel CHICAGO NEWS STANDS: Eherman House; P. O. News Co.; Great Northera Hotel: Fremont House: Auditorfum Hotel. WASHINGTON (D. C.) OFFICE....1408 G St., N. W. MORTOX E. CRANE. Correspondent. BRANCH OFFICES—21 Montgomery, corner of Clay, open entll 9:30 o'clock. 300 Hayes, open until 9:30 o'clock. 683 McAllister, open until 3:30 o'clock. €15 Larkin. open untll #:30 o'clock. 1341 Mission, open until 10 c'clock. 2361 Markst, corner Sixteenth, open until § o'clock. 108 Valencia, open urtil § o'clock. 106 Eleventh, open until § o'clock. NW. cor- ner Twenty-second and Kentucky, open until § o'clock. 2200 Fillmore, open until 9 p. m. —_—— AMUSEMENTS. Alcezar—*“The First Born" and “‘Gloriana.” Grand Opera-house—‘“The Queen of Chinutow: ' ‘Barbara Frietchie.” Orpheum—Vaudeville. Columbia—‘"Heartsease. Olympia, corner Maron and Eddy streets—Epecialties. Chutes, Zoo and Theater—Vaudeville every afternoon and evening. Fischer's—Vaudeville. Recreation Park—Baseball. i A!:nmbfl—&nem Children's Hospital, Saturday matinee, une Sutro Baths—Swimming. Emeryville Racetrack—Races to-day. AUCTION SALES. By 8. Watkins—Tuesday, May 28 at 11 o'clock, Horses, Mules, ete., at Twelfth and Harrison streets. 10 SUBSCRIBERS LEAYING TOWN FOR THE SUMMER. Cal! subscribers co: resideace during the summer months can have their paper forwarded by mall to their new addresses by notifying The Call Business Office. This paper will also be on sale at all summer Fesorts and is represented by a local agent ia &ll towss en thejcoast. T Call's use of the term “Altbryangeldism” to de- scribe that queer political mixture which has been on tap in this country since 1896. Our critic de- clares that it is unAmerican to indulge in such criti- cism of thc minority party, and asks if it is wise or prudent to do so “in a republic like ours, where the safety of the nation and the liberties of the .people depend upon a very equal division of the people into political parties.” The republic and the liberties of the people seem to have stood that sort of thing very well so far, and we are unable to comprehend how they are endan- gered by criticizing a minority and not by serving a majority party the some way. The Times scasons, adorns and illustrates its lecture on propriety by call- ing Republicanism “Hannaism” and declaring that “it has uniformly stood for oppression, while Bryanism and- Altgeldism have z2lways stood for greater liberty and greater benefits to the common people, and as between the two every honest man will choose Bryan- ism, even with all the sneers and leers which such publications as The Call may choose to make.” Now that is good. Twice the whole people have had the chance to choose between the two, and ac- cording to this Seattle oracle all the honest ones have chosen Bryanism. Then a vast majority of our people are pot honest. The Times should go and study logic for a few years, and then take such 2 turn in physics as to learn not to sit on a limb and saw the same off between itself 2nd the tree. We believe in freedom of criticism and that the same rule applies to minority and majority parties and is equally American. The people are the final judges. They sift the wheat-from the chaff, the true from the false, as they did in 1896 and 1900. We deny the Times’ position that cnly dishonest men voted against Bryan. To admit is to disclose the most horrible situation that can be conceived for a republic. We do not deny that the supporters of Mr. Bryan hon- estly believed that they were doing right, but we think, as do a large majority of our countrymen, that they were wrong. No doubt Mr. Bryan is a model of the domestic and civic virfues, but he can be that and at the same time be the most fantastic freak that has ever cavorted and kicked high in American politics. His principles are certainly not Democratic, when measured by the teachings of Jefferson or passed upon by the best living experts on the subject of Democracy. If the country ‘is deprived of the benefits of two political parties, nearly equally divided, no one but Mr. Bryan is to blame. He has alienated the common sense of the country from the party he has created and led, and an equal division is not possible till he gets out of the way. PARTISAN CONSISTENCY. HE Seattle Times finds itself enraged by The Mrs. Potter Palmer has declined with thanks an appointment to act as a volunteer garbage inspector in her ward in Chicago on the ground that she has arranged for certain social functions for the summer at Newport; and so Chicago loses the joy of having a society leader for a garbage woman, while Newport has the satisfaction of having a garbage inspector for a social leader. Europe owes us a large.amount of money on the balance of trade, but from the number of Americans who are rushing across the Atlantic for a good time this summer it looks as if most of it would be burned THE PRESIDENT DEPARTS. T is expected that Mrs. McKinley's gratifying improvement and rapid convalescence will permit the President’s party to leave for Washington to-day.” The gratification felt by the people at this close of the President’s visit originates entirely in happiness at the recovery of Mrs. McKinley. Californians have 'not tired of his sojourn and would willingly see it extended, if under conditions agreeable to him and his. While his tour was necessarily shortened by the unforeseen circumstance of his | wife’s illness, it has been beneficial to the West and to Western interests. He and his Cabinet have received new impressions of the vastness of the country and the rapid multi- plication of its very varied interests. They have traversed the expanse of country that has always been spread out under the skies, and have been impressed by the use and develop- ment of its resources by the touch of man’s hand and his energy and enterprise. East of the Mississippi is a great country wrought upon by a dense population. But this side of that river lies a vaster domain and of more varied natural resources which invites and will sustain an equally dense and a far more enterprising population. j "Heretofore this jarger part of our share of the continent has been somewhat neg- lected by the Government. But this condition will be mitigated by such tours as the President has undertaken. It was purely unselfish on his part. He is not looking to a further renewal of the honors worthily bestowed by his countrymen, and has no projected interest as a candidate in the future. His purpose was purely public and economic, and related to the interests of the people. Of our people he has been able to form a most favorable judgment. They have all been his neighbors and his friends, sharing with 'him the days of anxiety to which he was providentially subjected, and sharing with* him also the pleasure and happiness of the passing of the cloud which was for a time upon him. His influence in national affairs has always been on the side of development of the whole country, symmetrically and harmoniously. He can certainly point to the triumpl hant working out of his ecorlomic ideas in the prosperity of all the people, and we may depend upon him to urge the application of his policies to the further, more rapid and needed development of the West. Especially do our Pacific seaports need public attention. This coast wants more and better harbor lights, buoys and signals. We need more lightships. If wireless te- legraphy justify the expectations it has raised, we want a wireless telegraph station on the Farallones, and on certain islands of the Aleutian archipelago, in the interest of naviga- tion and for the use of the weather service. We need attention to the interests of navi- | gation on this coast equal to that on the Atlantic. The weather service now enjoys tele- graphic facilities in the West Indies. The great storms born there are now notified to the whole Atlantic coast, so that immense saving results from the cautioning of sea com- merce, and its warning of the coming storm. the losses of commerce are minimized. Hatteras is shdrn of much of its terrors and " If the country is to be great its greatness must extend to all its borders. If it is to be permanently prosperous that prosperity must be general and not partial or sectional. These ends are brought within easier people will reasonably expect economic resu California speeds the parting guest wi tality is unspent and we would gladly expre: require. 3 reach by the tour of the President, and the Its of the greatest value to them. th a genuine effusion”of feeling. Our hospi- ss it in more emphatic terms should occasion Our thoughts will be with the President and his wife-on their homeward journey. May its every mile be pleasant, and their return to more familiar scenes only serveto em- phasize thie pleasure of their experiences in the midst of us. ELECTIONS OF THE YEAR. UCH State elections as will be held this fall will S not be of much interest to the nation as a whole, but in the ccmmonwealths where' they ‘aré to occur the political pot is already beginning to boil, and in two of them, Virginia and Obhio, it is probable the contests will be quite vigorous. It has been hitherto deemed fairly certain that in Ohio the Republicans would renominate Governor Nash, but recently there have appeared evidences of a considerable opposition to him. It is quite likely of course that when the convention meets the oppo- sition will prove to have been more noisy than strong, but none the less it is making a pretense at least of getting up an earnest fight against him. In one re- spect the Governor is fortunate in having such an opposition, for according to the reports that come to us the main argument used against him is that he, has made himself unpopular by stopping the Cin- cinnati prize-fight. It is safe to say that 'any votes he may lose among the sporting ‘element on that ac- count will be more than compensated by those of good citizens who respect him for the action. The Democrats of Ohio are approaching the con- test with the usual number of faction fights by way of preliminaries. There are some among them who wish John R. McLean to run again and open another bar- rel. Others would like Tom L. Johnson to make the race. Johnson, however, seems determined to re- main out of it himself and to be doing his best to keep McLean out also. He has declared in favor of nominating John J. Lentz, formerly a Congressman of some notoriety. Lentz is known as an ultra- partisan and cannot be expected to win over any Re- publican voters, so it would seem that Johnson is willing to have a Democratic defeat this fall rather than have a victory that might bring into public view an Ohio Democrat to compete with him for the sup- port of the party as a candidate for the Presidency. In Towa as soon as the Republicans have nominated their candidate all will be over but the shouting. The interest in the situation there is.due to the relations of Minister Conger to the nomination for Governor. It seems to be conceded he can have it if he wishes, but #s yet he appears undecided whether to return to China or to stay at home and be: Governor. From Virginia céme reports that not since the-days of Mahone has there been such acofitest for the Gov- ernorship as that now going. onibetween Attorney General Montague and Congressman Swanson. It is said Swanson represents thé: machine ‘and Mon- tague is making a whirlwind Jcanvass ‘of the Stat for the purpose of rousing the young Democrag;f, against the bosses. “In his speeches he has bitterly denotinced the administration of party ‘affairs in’ the State and is meeting with enthusiastic “receptions* wherever he goes. B R R Maryland is to elect two State officers, and the an- nouncement that Gorman would take personal charge of the campaign has given something of national in- terest to the election. New Jersey is to elect a Gov- ernor, and Massachusetts and Pennsylvania _are to elect State officers, but in neither is there any doubt | about the result or any considerable campaigning being done. S Perhaps the most interesting con)est of ‘the year will be that in New York City, where Hill has or- ganized a Democratic fight against Tammany, and where thé citizens of all parties seem ‘determined at last'to elect an: honest municipal administration. That election, moreover, is likely to be the mostvim'- portant as well as the most interesting, for whatever concerns Tammany Hall concerns national as well.as local politics, and consequently the whole country may be affected by the resnlt of the vote in the city. DEMANDS FOR TRANSPORTATION. ECENTLY in a discussion of the question of R rates of fare offered by railway companies to the Pan-American Exposition some authorities on railfoad matters argued that if rates were fixed:at that\are known as popular. prices thg movement of passenger travel would be larger than the roads can handle. One of them said railroad officials “should remember that all who travel are not attracted -by cheap excursions, and that those who do not want to go to the fair have a right to demand that their regu- lar service shall not be disturbed.”. ! While the validity of the argument ‘may be - dis- puted, it is undeniable that at present the tremen- dous expansion of American energy in traffic and travel has surpassed the preparations made for handling it by even the most enterprising roads. It will be remembered that some. difficulty was expe- rienced in this State in obtaining cars to handle the citrus fruit crop, and the situation seems to be far worse in the East. A recent dispatch from Philadelphia said: “With orders enough ghead to keep five hundred hands busily employed ;nr months, the blanket mills of Wil- liam & James Stafford in Manayunk have shut down, to remain closed for two weeks. This unusual con- dition is due to the fact, it is stated, that all the stor- age room the company has at its command is choked with manufactured godds, ‘and it is unable to, get transportation facilities to carry the products away. Half a thousand wage-earners are thus thrown out of work when, under ordinary conditions, they might be actively and uninterruptedly engaged. Both.the Pennsylvania and Reading railroads are accessible to the Stafford mills, and both corporations have’ been appealed to, but owing to the generally prosper- ous state of business in the Manayunk manufactories the roads are having the greatest difficulty in trying to take care of the business offered them.” The railroad men are of course mé.king every ef- fort to handle the business and to be ready for future expansion. The American Economist notes that within a space of two weeks orders were given by va- rious roads for upward of 2000 freightcars. . Of course passenger-cars and locomotives will be ordefed in’ proportion. It will be seen that the prosperity of the country is making the railroad men work hard to keep up with the procession. What would be the conditionof the country if at this time our railroads were under Government control and we had to wait for Congress to meet and make an appropriation be- fore orders could be given for néw cars and new locomotives?. — 'Pcrs’gns who have missed the name of Roosevelt in the"news of the day recently may probably be satis- fied by the explanation of the Springfield Republican that “he has been swallowed up in the amplitudinous | quietude’of the Vice Presidency.” The fate seems to be a sad one, but as Teddy is vigorous he may yet emerge. . Among the many reasons which have been given to explain the gladness that will attend President Mec- Kinley’s return to his Washington home is one somewhat overlooked in the general congratulation of the Presidential party. McKinley will be for a time at least scot-free. e e Lipton is to repair SHamrock II and bring her over to make the race notwithstanding the, bad luck that has attended her;, and while the affair promises to be a walkover for us it ‘will not do to be too sure of it, for in this world it sometimes happens that pluck wins in spite .of luck. . Seyeral oil companies in Texas have offered “a The British papers have ceased talk‘ing about the war and are now discussing the coal tax. The one subject is about as unpleasant as the other, but any- ‘thing for a change. p fimited number of full-paid non-assessable shares at 25 cents THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1901. National ' When it was founded, a hundred years ago, the Library of Congress was created merely as a.convenienge to the members of Congress, and it still retains the title which was then given to it, although its functions have broadened. It is now a library of general scope; it is in a building distinct from the Capitol; it is performing a service to the executive departments and to the public at large, and it mafn- tains the Copyright Office, which is as distinctively administrative in its func- tions as is the Patent Office. But, consti- tuticnally, the library is not classed with the executive departments of the Govern- ment. The Librarian is, to be sure, desig- nated by the President of the United States; but the Librarian administers the library under the direct supervision of Congress; he appoints his subordinates under rules prescribed by Congress; he applies directly to Congress for the appro- priations for the maintenance of the li- brary, and he renders his annual report direct to Congress. There is not in the case of the library, ere is in the case of the varlous scientific bureaus of Wash- ington, a higher executive intervening be- tween it and the legislative authority. Founding of the Great Library. The Library of Congress was created by act of Congress in the year 1800. The cen- tennial of Washington as the Capital City also, therefore, the centennial of the library, But in 1814 the existing collection (some 3000 volumes) was entirely destroyed I;X the fire which the British troops start- in the Capitol. The private library of ex-President Jeffergon (6700 volumes) was soon after purchased by Congress, and formed the basls for a new growth. This continued untll 1851, when a second fire, this time accidental, destroyed all but 20,~ 000 of the 55,000 then existing volumes. Since that catastrophe, however, the growlh has been uninterrupted and has ad speclal impetus from seveéral sources. Seventy-five thousand dollars was appro=- lsrln.ted to repalr immediate losses, and ater two great speclal purchases were made, one ot the collection of Peter Force and the other of the manuscripts of the Marquis de Rochambeau. In the books In possession of the Smithsonian Institution, yamounting to 40,000 volumes, were transfdrred to the library, with an agreement that future accessions through exchange should follow. In 1870<the copy- right work was transferred to the library and with it the two copies of publications required to be flled to perfect the entry for copyright. These events, however, tended chiefly to the enlargement of the collection. It had been founded as a library for the use of Cengress. Its scope was now broadened from one limited to the requirements of a legislative-body to one whose limits were but the limits of recorded knowledge. Otherwise, however, the ninety-seven years from the creation to the opening of the new building in 1897 had produced no organic change. There was a great ac- cumulation of matrial, but it was as yet,| undifferentiated. ~The staff increased from one persen to forty-two persons, but it also was undifferentiated. Reorganizing the Vast Collections. The new building implied a purpose for the .library -far wider than that of its founding. The building was not a mere wing of the Capitol, it was set apart dis- tizet. It was designed and completed as the largest, most commodious library building in the world; also the most dec- orative and the most costly. It was ca- pable of a broad and a highly differenti- ated service which had t been possible in the crowded room and with the over- burdened administration at the Capitol. Since 1897 the library has been undergo- ing a reorganization with reference to this broader and more highly speclalized serv- ice. The material itself, which had been accumulating in mass, has been set apart, slilgg and summarily classified; the print- ed bocks and namphlets now form one di- vision, the documents another, the manu- scerips another, the maps and_ charts an- other, the music anether, the Smithsonian deposit another, the prints still another. There is now a distinct group of employes with a responsible chief for each one of these divisions. There is also a distinct group deévoting itself exclusively tc the business involved in the acquisition of material, whether by purchase, gift or exchange; another group is attending ex- clusively to its receipt; another group is occupted exclusively with the classifica- tion of this material and its preparation for use in the way of catalogues and other aids. The direct service to the reader, besides having attention in each one’ of these several divisions handling the special material (documents, manu- scripts, maps, music and prints) has its gereral and liberal provision in the main reading room, in the reading room for the current perfodicals and in the reading room for the blind, and a speclalized serv- ice from a distinétive group of workers who are FreDBred to aid in inquiries in- volving elaborate research. o Large Force Now Employed. Auxiliary to all the above is a fully equipped bindery for the repair.and bind- ing of the library books and a printing office for the printing of the catalogue cards and forms, and of the bibliographic publications. The copyright work is now set off in a distinct division employing the exclusive services of forty-five persons, a number greater than the entire staff of the library ‘in the old building. Distinct again from all of these divisions having the custody of special material or special functions “with reference to the material as a whole, is a small group at the head of which is the librarian in chief, having the general administrative super- vision of ‘the work as a whole. The building and grounds are cared for by a separate orgagization—engineers, janitors, etc.—under superintendent, himself appointed by the President. This official acts also as disbursing agent for all payments made out of the library ap- propriations. Tge present employes ‘in . the library poper number 185 and in the Copyright tiice forty-five, while the care of the uilding and grounds requires now a force (ncluding charwomen) of 111 persons. Only. ‘statistics can make evident such require- ments. The building with its courts cov- ers three and one-half acres of ground; it includes over 10,000,000 cubic feet and eight acres of floor space; it has 2150 windows to be kept clean; it is finished in costly marble and mosaics and decorated with costly paintings, which must receive as- slduous care, and it employs elaborate machinery—heating and ventilating ap- paratus, elevators, book railways and pneumatic tubes—which must be smoothly operated and keft in order. Present Sizé of the Collections. An average of 2200 persons visit this building every day in the year. It is wired for 6000 electric lamps and its heating' re- ch,” and one. has’ gone so far as to offer |late stock at 6 ents a share. That cdmes very near raking | | the State financially with a finetooth comb. + quires 3000 tons of coal per annum. Its care and the responsibility for its proper maintenance and physical equipment rest with its superintendent, not with the Li- brarian. Special appropriations are placed at his disposal, which now average about 883,0%0 a year. This s exclusive of appro- priations for furniture and shelving, é’flm are granted as the al equipment of the. rooms for particular uses progresses. The contents of the library proper have now reached the following figures: Printed books and pamphlets (not including dupli- cates in the Copyright 995,000; 000; maps and charts, 55, * Here is a huge mass of material which f itself indicates- the needs of a large force and one competent for specialized service. That force }- gradually being provided. b Now this institution is a lib = Tty ‘work is not merely to administer, = executive bureau; nor to investigate and like o °selentific_ burcau . Th compile, function ke an |- PAPERS ON CURRENT TOPICS. PREPARED BY EXPERTS AND SPECIALISTS FOR THE SAN FrANCISCO CALL.- What the Federal Government Has Done in One Hundred Years to Create a Great Library. By Herbert Putnam, LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS. / s o \ ((;OPYRKGHT. 1901.) o XV.—THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. pictorial or other art. Its domain is lit- erature, written, printed, stamped, en- graved, or by whatsoever process repro- duced, on whatsoever material. A clay tablet of Nineveh or the Moabite stone would find appropriate place within it; but only as literature, not as aculgture. nor as ‘evidence in geology. All literature, however, and maps, music, photographs, etchings, engravings, as well as the writ- ten and the printed book, are in its prov- ince. The Uses of the Library. As to use also: A library does not write books, nor does it make them. It does not engage in scientific research. It helps to disseminate knowledge, but only by accu- mulating, preserving and making availa- ble the sources of knowledge, not by mul- tiplying them. It informs as to what knowledge exists, and what opinion. But it is not a university. It does not A struct, and it has no opinions of its own to promulgate or promote. Libraries differ. The free town library, the free city library on its popular side, and the subscription library collect ma- terial which is required for immediate use by the present constituency of readers. They circulate this as widely and as rap- idly as Fouxble. Their usefulness may to a_certain degree be estimated by the number of books they circulate, Their usefulness may in a Sense be claimed to be at a maximum vgien they can show not a single b resung on the shelves and the books a whole wearing out b use faster than they can be replaced. They are trylng‘ to reach all ages and every class in the communit; { are supplying not merely the books whic e instructive but those which are purely recreative. Pasticularly, however, they are seeking to acquire the books which are useful, and their purpose is immedi- ate practical use rather than mere pres- ervation, Now the library of Congress also seeks to acquire and Hupplr books to be Imme- diately useful, but it does much more than this. It is the national library of the United States. It has a duty, there- fore, to accumulate and to preserve every bit of material constituency of the li- brary, or to the pregent generation of readers. Local libraries cannot acquire everything. They have not the space, they have not the funds. There should, however, be one library in the country which should acquire everything obtain- able and appropriate in a library relating to that country, whether written or print- ed. For years the library of Congress has been accumulating on this principle. Its funds for %urchnse were small, but it was aided by the copyright act. For since 1870 it has been made t! depositary, without cost, of two copies of every book and periodical and of most of the other articles entered under the copyflfht law of the United States, and for fourteen years prior to 1870 it was the beneficlary of one copy. The national libraries of other countries do not, however, limit themselves to the literature which is merely domestic with them. The British Museum, for instance, recognizes the whole world as its field. The national l- brary of the United States, which is nec- essarily to be the foremost library in the ‘Western hemisphere, can do no less. Aids to the Nation’s Scholarship. Its funds, however, are not and cannot be limitless. It must apportion, them, In. ordet of relative lmlpunnnce it places first material which will be practically useful to Congress and 0 other branches of the Federal Government, and to the inquirers who ' form its immediate constituency of readers; second, material relating to the United States and its component parts; third, material relating to the Western hemisphere; fourth, material relating to the history and the political and economic conditions of other countries; and, lastly, the literature of general knowledge. It is a library not so much for popular education as for serious research. It has a duty to accumulate and preserve irre- spective of the mere present use. It must be content to see the major portion of its books stand at any one time idle upon the shelves. Its ambition is not so much to secure a great number of readers, or to issue a great number of volumes, as to ald in investigations which may have im- portant consequences to the nation or to scholarship. As the library of Congress it is to aid Congress and the various commissions es- tamfshed by Congress to make investiga- ticns or to_judiciall decide important questions. Ifs next duty is to_the execu- tive Federal departments of Washington and to the various scientific bureaus maintained by the Federal Government. It is seeking an intimate relation of serv- ice with these bureaus. Most of them have collections of books of their own, but their funds are small, and, as time goes on, the collections cannot represent more ‘than the working tools which the officials or scientists must have near their desks. In course of time the Federal Iibraries of Washington will form one-or- ganic system with the library of Congress as the center. As a Storehouse of Knowledge. ‘Washington is, moreover, itself becom- ing the center of research for scholars in general, particularly in the departments of history, law, political and social scl- ence, ethnology and those natural and physical sciences which may be studied to ‘advantage in connection with the scl- entific_collections in Washington or with the scientific work being carried on in the Smithsonian Institution, the ~Coast Geodetic Survey, the Geological Survey, the naval observatory, ete. It is al the seat of various colleges and it is with- in one hour of the American University most famed for advanced graduate re- search. In all such research the national library is ready to aid. But being a national library, its dutles extend still further.- It should render wkatever service is within its power to scholarly research all over - the United States, and, as a fact, it endeavors to do go. Inquiries come to it by mail from every State in the Union. It answers them directly so far as it is able, and where the answer cannot be given cut of the material in its possession it seeks to indicate where it may be had. Now these inquiries, as well as those ad- dressed to it officially, involve almost every branch of human knowledge which has any literature; many. also t have no literature. To answer, it must, so far as possible, have books; it must have the bibliographies showing 'what books exist on any given subject in addition to those which it has; it must have catalogues showing what of these books are in its own collection; and, so far as possible, catalogues of other collections sh where are to be found those books whic] it does not possess. Lastly, it must have the men competent not merely to produce a given book specifically named—this is the easiest and simplest service—but com- petent to advise as to what literature exists upon a given subject and rela- tive hmtlnf of each book upon a given subject of inquiry, and the best method of pursuing t inquiry so far as it in- volyes the use of books. . Now this is a h}ghly l:l gt %ervll'ce. It means a corps of speci uch specialists always possesses within ey Wasni g:" enable it oft ashington e those bureaus the scientific ppimog 10m this or that matter of inquiry which it cannot supply from its own staff. In Note—This paper will et ‘| have made a success o PERSONAL MENTIOV. Jesse D. Carr of Salinas is at the Pal- ace. K. Casher, a Vallejo merchant, is at the Lick: C. H. Riege, a stationer of Fresno, s at the Lick. L. W. Shinn, a mining man of Angeis, is at the Lick. Charles P. Braslan, a seed merchant of San Jose, is at the Palace. E. W. Oaks, an extensive fruit raiser of Riverside, is at the Palace. W. L. Valentine, a railroad man of Los Angeles, is a guest at the Palace. W. H. Lee, a well-known book publisher of Chicago, registered at the Palace yes- terday. C. H. Phillips, a capitalist and well- known real estate dealer of San Jose, Is at the Palace. A. Musto, who conducts a general mer- chandise business at Stockton, is a guest at the Grand. | Judge H. G. Pond, whd is one ot the | largest prune growers of the State, is up from Santa Clara and Is registered at the Palace. . Congressman Charles F. Joy of St Louis, Mo., is at the Palace. He is & brother of Edwin W. Joy, the druggist, of this city. i Mrs. A. R. Chaffee, the wife of General Chaffee, accompanied by her daughter, arrived here from New York and is at the Occidental. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. DIMES-T. H. F., Watsonville, Cal Dealers do not offer a premium for dimes of SOLDIER'S P’EN!ION—T& F., !.o:ltAn- Cal. A pension check issus 0 & Eolator enittiea to receive the same is not subject to attachment for debt. 11 :vnu?rflgr yP-.vmou Otctober 4, 1897, when Smith was declared the victor in twenty rounds. PLAY THE FOOL-J. T. H, Vallejo. Cal. *“Let me play the fool, with mirth and laughter, etc.,” 1s to be found in the “Merchant of Venice,” act I, scene I, words spoken by Gratiano. MAHOGANY TREE—Enq., Oakland, Cal. The mahogany tree is a native of the West Indies and of South America. It grows to a height of from 80 to 100 feet and its growth !s very slow. ., Alameda, Cal. The guns in the royal Brit- ish navy is tweive inel The largest in the Unfted States navy is fifteen inch No nation has any guns in its navy larger bore. HEADWATER'S BEST TIME-M. C., Baden, Cal. The best time made by Head- water prior to May 10 was that made within the ten days before that date. Consult the racing charts in The Call of that period. HUMMINGBIRDS—S., Parkfleld, Cal. F. A. Lucas In an exhaustive article on hummingbirds written in 1897 has the fol- lowing: “The family of hummingbirds s excl ely American, and its range ex- }nndl from Patagonia to British Amer- ca.” STATUTE OF LIMITATION-—Inquirer, Punta Arena, Cal. A mortgage, like a promissory note, is an obligation in writ- ing. In California if executed in the State it runs four years from the time of maturity, if executed outside of the State two years. ROCHESTER INSTITUTION—Subscri- ber, Santa Rosa, Cal. To ascertain if such an institution as you ask about Is in operation in Rochzster, N. Y., address a communication to the Chief of Police of that city, enclosing a self-addressed and stamped envelope for reply. POSITION ON A STEAMER—M. W.- 8., City. An individual desiring to secure a position on a steamer plying between San Francisco and foreign ports should flle his application at the office of any company running such steamers, stating what posi- tion he would hke to fill. TAKING UP LAND-F. B.,, Ravenna, Cal. The taking up of government land for homestead is vested in the head of the family and the husband Is recognized as the head of the family. If the wife is deserted or abandoned by the husband she is recognized as the head of the fam~ {ly and she can take up land. RAILROAD SPEED—E. J. B., City. The fastest railroad (long distance) in England is the Caledonian, speed 60.34, miles per hour. The fastest long distance road in the United States is said to be. g:‘afll‘e.wd Yoproked CI‘ntral 'A)nd Hfl%‘m’; River road, | Tom 60 to es hour. That road has a record of 72. MILLIONAIRE—Subscriber, City. In different countries the qualifications for millionaires differ. In the United States it takes §1,000,000 to entitle the pos- sessor of ;such an amount to be classed as a millidnaire; in Great Britain he must ssess one milllon pounds sterling or 000,000, and in Germany the qualifica~ tion. is 1,000,000 marks or $250,000. GAME LAWS—H. M, City. The close season in California/for deer is between the 1st of October of any year and the 1st of August of the following year; for duck, quail, partridge, grouse or sage hen, or any rail, curlew, ibis or plover, it is be- tween the 1st day of February and the 1st day of October of any year. The game laws of this State have no mention of geese as protected birds. UNITED STATES CENTS-R., Santa Cruz, Cal. The first copper cents coined by the United States were those of 1793, Prior to that date cents stamped with va- rious designs were issued by the States. There were the Vermont cent of 1785, the Connectlcut_cent of 178, the hu- setts cent of 1786 and the New Jersey cent of 17%6. There were also about two dozen colonial cents. H\AN WITH THE IRON MASK-D. City. “The Man with the Iron Mask™ was a mysterious prisoner in France wearing a mask and closely confined under M. de St. Mars at Pignerol, 1679; St. Marguerite," 167, and at the Bastile, 1698, where hé died November 19, 1703. ¥e was of noble mein and was treated with profound respect, but his keepers had orders to dispatch him if he uncovered. M. de St. Mars him- self always glaced the dishes ou hia table and stood in his sence. For additional information in relation to this prisoner see Temple Bar, May, 1872. GUNS—A. P. bore of the large: Cholce candies, Townsend’s, Palace Hotel® ———e——— Cal. glace fruit 50c per Ib at Townsend's.® ————— Townsend's California glace fruits, 50c a und; in fire-etched boxes or Jap bas- nu_ 639 Market, Palace Hotel building.® ———————— Best eyeglasses, specs, 10 to 40c. Look out for$1Fourth, front 6¢ barber and grocery.* e rio it xS il % PRESIDENTIAL RECEPTIONS AND PARADES. All in tWe Wasp's sixty-page Presidential scuvenir: On sale ivarl. where. 25 cents. Special information supplied dally to business houses and public men the Press Clij Buread (Allen’s), 510 e ‘o;’:ry -'3%(‘ Telephone Main 1042, g There is a_ Chinese farm in Flori where the Johns have gone lomewh: si‘- tenl::ely into the “small truck” business, shipping their product gnlz'ev York. (ne,’ - —— Do Your Feet Ache Ara burn, and make you tired all over? Allen's uamnn-tmm:' Kes walking easy. Ac and mal 2 FREE. Address Allen S. Qlmsted, Le Roy, N.Y. —_———